Wedge 'n Wes
by Bum Russian Elvis
Summary: Wedge Antilles and Wes Janson have created families for themselves, but their children have become engaged to be married. To make matters worse, Wes is captured by a vicious gang in a bar fight, and Wedge is powerless to stop it!
1. The Reunion

Disclaimer: I don't own Star Wars. I only own this plot and the kids of Wedge and Wes. Oh, yeah, this is 40 years after Endor, and we're saying the the NJO never happened, okay? And the Solo kids, and Ben, are still alive. Ben is 19, Anakin is 32, and the twins are 35. I know, the ages aren't exact, but they're accurate. The Solo kids and Ben all became part of Rogue Squadron. And don't ask why I didn't include all the Rogues. I don't know the names of all of them, and if I do, I don't know their personality. And can I say that Dack didn't die? Wait- if Dack hadn't died, then Wedge wouldn't have gotten the first kill against an AT-AT ever. Alright. Dack's still dead.  
  
Wedge 'n Wes  
  
Wedge Antilles walked out of his bedroom that one morning, the one where his daughter did the one thing he had thought no man or woman – though hopefully a woman before a man – would ever even dream of doing. But that's for later.  
  
He smiled at his wife, Iella Wessiri Antilles, as he entered the kitchen and picked up the pot of caf and poured himself a cup.   
  
Iella smiled back. "Remember, the Rogue Reunion is today."  
  
Wedge chuckled, more to himself than anyone else. "How could I forget? I get to see Luke, Tycho, Corran, Hobbie, Wes, and all the others again."  
  
"Well, you know how you get in your old age, General Antilles." Iella said jokingly.  
  
"Hey, I resent that." Wedge replied mock-sternly as he finished downing the cup of caf he had poured himself.   
  
"What, being called old or being called General?"  
  
Wedge pondered that for a minute. "Can I say both?" He asked finally.  
  
"Not if you avoid more thinking by saying that."   
  
"Dammit." Wedge uttered under his breath. He started pondering some more. "Well…" He said at length. "I guess, since aging is natural, I never thought I'd live this long, and accepting that promotion was one of the worst decisions of my life, I'll have to say being called General."  
  
"How did I know you'd say that?"  
  
"You didn't. You assu-"  
  
"I knew."  
  
"I don't know…" Wedge murmered.  
  
Iella burst out laughing and lightly hit Wedge in the stomach.  
  
"Oof!" Wedge said playfully. "Maybe I'll see you in bed while I go and see if Liella actually is coming…" He smiled.  
  
"I like the way you think." Iella said, smiling as well. She walked into their room and jumped onto the bed.  
  
Wedge smiled again and walked to the holoprojector and called Liella Antilles, his daughter.   
  
After a few minutes, the busy signal went away and Liella's face appeared. "Daddy!" She cried out.  
  
Wedge smiled yet a again. "Hi Liella! What's up?" He asked.  
  
"Oh, I thought I would skip out on the Reunion today, go around town shopping and looking for people." She added a wink at the end of that statement.  
  
Wedge's smile quickly became a frown. "Liella, you know how much the Reunion means to me. And the guys are all looking forward to seeing you."  
  
Liella burst out in laughs. "Of course I'm coming! You knew that I would!"  
  
Wedge scowled. "You've been around Wes too much, you know that.   
  
Liella paused, and a troubled look crossed her face, barely noticeable.   
  
But it was noticeable enough.  
  
"What's wrong, honey?"  
  
All traces passed. "Huh? Nothing. I'll see you later, daddy."  
  
"Well, alright." Wedge said. "See you at the Reunion." He shut down the holograph and walked to his room. "She's coming." He said.  
  
"Good. We actually get to see her." Iella said. "Now get in here." She ordered.  
  
"You're ordering military." Wedge said, even though he jumped into the bed next to Iella, and they shared a long, passionate kiss.   
  
  
  
Meanwhile, in the Janson residence………  
  
"You're what?!" Wes Janson screamed over the holonet at his son, Derek Janson, and spilling his cup of caf in the process.  
  
"I'm engaged to Liella Antilles." Derek repeated calmly, a trait that unnerved Wes slightly.   
  
"Oh, god, Wedge is gonna kill me…" Wes murmured. "Couldn't you of chosen a better time, namely, some time other then just before we go to the Rogue Reunion."  
  
Derek winced, clearly visible even over the undetailed holonet. "Well, that's why I called…"  
  
Wes cut him off. "I don't want to know."  
  
"We're announcing our engagement at the Reunion."  
  
"Oh no…. Oh no…" Wes groaned. "Does Wedge know about this? Never mind, don't answer that. He doesn't know. I haven't gotten any transmissions with him shouting at me. Great. I get to be shouted to death in real life."  
  
"Dad-"  
  
"Don't start! Just don't start! I know that Liella's a nice woman, and Wedge is a great friend, but couldn't you of found someone else?" Wes asked.  
  
"Dad, we really love each other. We couldn't of found a better match."   
  
"Yeah, maybe, but after the Reunion, You, Liella, Wedge, and me are all going to sit down and have a long – and I mean long – talk about this." Wes said and abruptly turned the holograph off.   
  
Looking down, Wes noted with dismay that he had spilled his cup of caf when he learned that his son was engaged with Liella Antilles.  
  
Wes was convinced that Wedge wouldn't take this very well. But the more he thought about it, the more he realized that this would open up a whole new venue of pranks that he could pull... Ideas started forming in his head, and, as he went to his kitchen unit to get more caf, ideas started forming in his mind...  
  
5 hours later, at the Rogue Reunion…  
  
16 X-wings, one Correllian YT-1300, two private yachts, and a shuttle were settled down at the 'parking lot' of the Rogue Reunion 5 hours later, and an Imperial II-class Star Destroyer orbited the planet, which was Correllia. Luke Skywalker smiled at the gathering of ships and then turned to regard one of his best friends, and one of his oldest friends.  
  
"So you decided to come, Han." Luke said.  
  
"Yeah, I did. I just couldn't ignore all of the invitations I was getting." Han Solo said. He looked at Luke and smiled, too. Though his smile was lopsided, the one that his wife loved and adored so much.  
  
"Please, Han. You have to admit that you aren't good friends with all of Rogue Squadron, past and present." Luke said, still smiling.  
  
"Maybe not, but I got 6."  
  
Luke raised his eyebrows in mild surprise, and not-so-mild annoyance. He had only gotten 3! And he had been part of Rogue Squadron, it's commander and creator! One from Wedge, one from Tycho, and one from Ben! "Six?" He echoed calmly, his voice nor eyes betraying his feelings.  
  
"Yeah. One invitation from you, one from Wedge, one from Jaina, one from Jacen, one from Anakin, and one from Ben. 6 invitations." Han said with a smile. "How many did you get? 2? 3?"  
  
Luke smiled again. Han could read faces better then Luke thought. "Maybe." He allowed.   
  
Han burst out in a fit of laughter, then stopped suddenly when a comlink beeped. "Yours or mine?" He asked, taking it out.  
  
Luke did the same. "Mine."  
  
"And mine." Han said uneasily.   
  
Wearily, Luke turned his on. "Skywalker." He said.   
  
"All Rogues," The familiar voice of Derek Janson said over the com. "If you will join me in the main dining hall, I have something I would like to tell all of you."  
  
"What's this about?" The voice of Derek "Hobbie" Klivian asked over the comlink. Though he had been a bit unnerved when Wes Janson had named his son after Hobbie, he had accepted it as a sign of respect – which, hopefully, it was.   
  
"We have something that we would like to tell all of you – we being Liella and I."  
  
"Uh, okay." Hobbie said.   
  
The rest of the former and current Rogues and their guests of honor acknowledged, as well.  
  
"Thank you. We will be waiting for you in the dining hall." Derek said.   
  
Luke raised a questioning eyebrow at Han, then nodded towards the door.  
  
Han nodded back and they both made their way to the main dining hall.  
  
Concurrently, in the sim room…  
  
Wedge stepped out from his sim, which was the dreaded mission that Corran Horn had shot down Tycho, just before he was instated into Rogue Squadron. He and his team, which consisted of Tycho Celchu, Corran, and Gavin Darklighter, and, of course, himself, were winning the sim just before the comlink call came in from Derek.  
  
"I wonder what this is about." He said mildly, and a bit worriedly. What has Liella gotten herself into this time? He thought.   
  
With a smile, Wes walked beside Wedge after exiting his sim. Wes had also been flying in the same simulation Wedge had, but he had been flying in a TIE Interceptor, against the team. He was fairing well, and hadn't been shot down yet. Yet being the operative word, of course.   
  
Wedge shrugged and walked to the door, pausing only for Corran, Tycho, and Gavin to catch up. Then they started towards the dining hall, everyone contemplating what Liella and Derek were going to say – everyone except, of course, Wes.   
  
When they reached the dining hall, Wes saw Derek and Liella at the front of the room, on a slightly raised platform and before a podium. They seemed to be having an intense conversation, though one couldn't tell from this distance.   
  
Unnoticed by Wes, the room had started its own conversations among the other Rogues and guests of honor. A loud voice – probably projected by the Force – echoed throughout the large room.   
  
"Well, what's the announcement?" Mara Jade Skywalker shouted out at Derek and Liella.   
  
Derek smiled and tuned his comlink to the loudspeakers in the room.   
  
"Thank you, all of you, for attending, generally, the Rogue Reunion, all of you current and past Rogues, and, of course, our Guests of Honor." He paused, and smiled. He continued. "Liella and I, as we told you over the comlinks, have something to announce to all of you. Liella and I are…" He paused, as if he couldn't finish.  
  
Liella finished for him. "We're engaged."  
  
"You're what?" Wedge shouted, wobblying about. Iella quickly ran to Wedge and held him steady.   
  
Liella winced.   
  
Wedge regained his footing and said "I need a drink."  
  
"Oh, good." Wes said.   
  
Wedge pointed to Wes, Liella, and Derek in turn. "You, you, and you are coming with me."  
  
"Oh, bad."   
  
Whee! Renewed with slight changes, and putting Wes more in character. So, please check this out. Again. I can actually go somewhere with this. 


	2. Bar fight

Disclaimer: You know; I know; they know. What else is there to say?  
  
So now, Wedge 'n' Wes, the second remade chapter. Hope you like!  
  
--  
  
Wedge sat in the crowded and noisy cantina, staring down at the his glass. There was a problem with the glass. Some might call it a minor problem, some would call it a major problem, and some would call it the end of the world, and then there were those who would say that it was not a problem at all, but actually a good thing. But to Wedge, right now, this was definately a major problem. And when coupled with his other problem, it could very well foretell the end of the universe.   
  
But to the point: The problem was that the glass was empty. Of course, he could always buy more, but that would mean he would have to buy more for Wes, who was sitting right next to him. And Wes was, very possibly, the source of Wedge's first problem. And, for those of you just tuning in, that problem was that Derek Janson, Wes' kid, was engaged to Liella Antilles, Wedge's kid. And therein lies the problem, and the cause of Wedge's drinking, and, in turn, the cause of Wedge's newest problem - the empty glass.  
  
"Wedge, while consulting a glass of brandy over my problems has done me wonders before, it hardly ever works when the glass is empty. And..." Wes glanced at his own empty glass of Whyren's Reserve. "Well, I was consulting my glass about your problems, y'know, to double-team the problem into submission, all the liquid in the cup somehow made its way down my throat."  
  
Wedge mumbled something.  
  
"I thought that you promised to buy?"  
  
More mumbling.   
  
"But I bought the first round."  
  
Mumbling.  
  
"That's how it normally goes."  
  
You guessed it, mumbling.  
  
"Actually, I've had far less experience doing this sort of thing then you'd expect."  
  
There was, yet again, some more mumbling.  
  
"Wedge, it's your turn."  
  
Mumble mumble.  
  
"I refuse to buy you another glass of brandy!"  
  
This went on for quite a while, with Wedge never really saying anything, just, as you may have guessed, mumbling. Wes was pretty much just imagining that Wedge was arguing with him, and imagining very well, though if we were to put words to Wedge's mumbling, it would probably be something along the lines of 'shut up,' though much more vulgar.  
  
Wedge continued to mumble at Wes, and Wes continued to imagine that there were appropriate words to the mumblings. Wes finally lost (in his own imaginary argument) and said a little too loudly, "Wedge, I'm broke!" That was a big mistake, and a very nearly the last one Wes ever made.  
  
Among other things, this caused Wedge to look up, wide-eyed with surprise. He had never known Wes to admit not having money - especially when the next drink was in question - unless he was complaining about getting too little pay.  
  
Now for the other things this statement caused. The establishment they were in had some very strict rules, and everyone there except Wedge and Wes knew them and took them to heart. And the first rule was that if you didn't have money, and admitted it to everyone, they would have no choice but to 'escort' you out.   
  
Those who were escorted out always returned to their homes with minor injuries, if they returned home at all.  
  
Earlier that night Wes had beaten everyone rather badly in sabacc, but then lost it all when he bluffed and lost. He then countered his loss by saying that he let them win, because he's just such a nice guy, and that was very nearly an infringement on another of their rules - absolutely no cheating. Many people thought that he had been payed off by the man who won (they had been quite friendly to eachother before and during the game) to let him win. But the bartender (whose word was law in that cantina) had said that there was no proof, and therefore no reason to kill him over it. This had had the double effect of increasing the agitation the bar felt towards Wes, which was already considerably high, and unnerving Wes quite a bit - probably the 'kill him over it' part. Wes would have - and probably should have - left just then, but he felt that Wedge shouldn't be alone in a place like this, and he therefore stayed. And overstayed his already well-over stayed welcome - which was practically nonexistent to start with.  
  
Now many of the people were closing in on Wes and he was backing away from them. He continued backing until he looked over his should and noticed people approaching him from behind. He then just kind of held his hands up in an effort to show that he meant no offense, and backed into the bar. The bartender took a swing at him from behind with a vibroknife, but, luckily for Wes, he heard the buzzing and ducked just in time. The bartender, obviously having expected to cut Wes' head off, was slightly off-balanced, and it was no trouble for Wes to deliver a solid blow to the big mans head to drop him to the ground. Throughout this, Wedge just sat there, seemingly frozen, and that threw Wes off quite a bit. He had never known Wedge to be indecisive.  
  
Wes sufficiently recovered from his shock to realize that he was too open in front of the bar, and hopped behind. The bartender was just starting to rise to his feet, so Wes smacked him in the head again and put him out for a while. The former pilot then ducked down and picked up the dropped vibroblade, and brandished it like a lightsaber. A few of the ruffians gave a start, momentarily thinking that he was a Jedi, but then started advancing again. But Wes noticed that momentary fear, and played on it.  
  
"Get back! I may not be a Jedi, but if you kill me, I can personally promise that you will have a dozen Jedi after you." Wes said calmly, convincingly. That was enough to get about a half dozen of the ruffians away, but that still left somewhere around 20.   
  
The one who was seemingly the leader grinned unpleasantly. His mouth was missing a number of teeth, and his face suggested that he had lost his teeth not to bad dental hygiene, but instead in numerous bar fights. However, there weren't enough teeth missing or wounds inflicted to suggest that the man was particularly bad at fighting hand-to-hand.   
  
But he apparently had no interest in backing that suggestion, since he pulled out a nasty-looking blaster and pointed it at Wes. "How they gonna find us? Is your friend gonna tell them? Well, then I guess that I better make sure he doesn't say anything to anybody ever again..." The leader shifted his aim to Wedge and began the tighten the trigger. In a flash of insight, Wes knew that he would shoot, and acted accordingly.  
  
In this case, acting accordingly meant vaulting over the bar and into the man, deflecting his aim. While Wes didn't have enough mass to knock the leader over, he did have enough mass to knock the aim off. As he and Wes collided, the blaster moved to the side, and a red bolt lanced out, narrowly missing Wedge's head. That stirred Wedge into action, and before Wes could see what his former commanding officer did, he was in the middle of a brawl.   
  
It would be Wedge and Wes against the bar, but many of the patrons disagreed with the rules and believed the Wedge and Wes deserved to live, and they surged into the fight. Still, the first gang outnumbered and outweighed them badly. Wes pulled a snapkick to a gang-members head, drapping the larger man with a thud, and started working his way towards Wedge. He knew that they'd have a better chance together, and they could then move towards the door.   
  
Wes could see Wedge's flying fists and feet when the leader stepped in front of him, eyes blazing in rage. Apparently, being broke and saving a mans life weren't a good combination in this bar, Wes thought as he ducked beneath the mans first fist. He rose back up just in time to accept stunning left to the chest, and he flew back into the arms of a female Twi'lek. The leader then moved towards Wedge, and when Wes made a lunge for him, he found himself on the floor looking up at a very attractive Twi'lek. She got an apologetic expression on her face, and moved towards Wes to help him up. Wes knew, somewhere in his mind, that it was a trick, and that she would return him to the floor, but he somehow couldn't resist her charm. He accepted her hand and was soon making a friend with the ground. Once he and the aforementioned ground were aquainted, he was hauled upright and thrown bodily back behind the bar. As he slid down the back wall of the bar, he noticed a lightsaber on the Twi'leks belt, and got a very, very bad feeling.  
  
--  
  
Wedge barely saw the Twi'lek take Wes out, as he was engaged in a fight with the gangs leader. The leader threw a heavy right and, instead of dodging it, Wedge took the blow and moved with it. He spun around to the shocked mans other side and released a flurry of lefts, rights, and kicks that took the leader down.   
  
He saw that his side was rapidly dwindling and, in his brief moment of air, brought out his E-11 blaster rifle from its position concealed beneath his clothes. With a flurry of stun blasts, he had a path cut towards the door. He knew that he wouldn't be able to get to Wes, and if he tried, he would end up in the same position, or end up dead. So, he ran out in the street and hopped onto a speeder bike. He quickly hotwired it and shot off towards the airport, mind reeling from what happened in there. He was dead-set on getting Wes back, but not quite sure how he would do it.  
  
--  
  
Alright, so that was pretty good, right? I know I kinda gave it a serious turn, but I want this to keep something that vaguely resembles a plot, not just random nonsense like in Star Trekking for the Holy Grail. There's nothing wrong with random nonsense, but I don't want it for this chapter. I really like this story, and want to keep it going, so I have to give it something like this to a start up a plot. Y'know how it is. 


	3. Chase

Disclaimer: see previous chapter. If that fails, see the one before it.

A/N: I LIVE! By which I mean, I have regained control of microsoft word!!! I have spell check (gag) and formatting! _Look! Italics! **Bold Italics! Underlined bold italics!**_

Ahem. Forgive that. I've been without this sort of thing for far too long, since my other computer booted me. I'm going to try and put this on a floppy and transfer it to my new, semi-working computer. If you even here about this plan, you'll know that I succeeded. Yay! But forgive any errors, since spell check ain't perfect and neither is this keyboard

--

As Wedge flew the speeder bike, he thought. Not about his driving – despite his somewhat intoxicated state, his mind was perfectly clear. His flying was perfect – he hit nothing. Perhaps it was simply instinct that his body had, and had no need for the mind.

But whatever the reason, he flew perfectly as he thought. In his minds eye, he was seeing things. Not just any things, but specific events from that night. He saw Liella and Derek deciding to leave, saying that it was late, and indeed it was. That was a few hours ago, and at this point it was past midnight. 

But those were distant images in his mind. Foremost in his mind was the events leading up to the bar fight. Wes' argument. His confession that he was broke, the attacking bar members. And he saw himself just sitting there, doing nothing. Why? No matter how much he asked himself that, he couldn't answer it. Was it the old age? It was, after all, 40 years after the Rebellion, and he wasn't a young man.

But he had never, not once in his life, frozen up like that. Already he was disgusted with himself for letting it happen. He would never be able to figure out why it happened. Some part of himself wanted to say that it was because he knew that if he had pulled his blaster rifle out, things would have gotten deadlier. But that wasn't it. Sure, it sounded good, and it might fool other people, but it wouldn't fool him. Part of him doubted that it would fool anyone who knew him, too.

And then he saw himself fleeing. Like a coward. He was becoming increasingly disgusted with himself as he reviewed his actions. _What was wrong with me? No, not was – is_, he wondered. But no matter how hard he tried, he could not come up with an answer that suited him. 

As he thought more, nothing came to him. He had no explanation for how he had frozen up like that. That wasn't something that he did – that wasn't something that _Wedge Antilles did, damnit!_

He continued to try and reinforce himself on this fact, but it didn't stick with him. _It may not be something the old Wedge Antilles did, but it's obviously something the new Wedge Antilles does. And because of that, Wes is now captive by a local gang, or worse – dead at their hands. And it's my fault. It's all my fault! I overreacted to the fact that Liella and Derek were getting married. I overreacted to the point of being angry – I didn't show it, but I was._

I should have been happy for them. So what if I'd be related to Wes? He's my best friend, why should I be opposed to it. Damnit, what has gotten in to me-

His thoughts were cut off as a blaster bolt blazed past his head. With a shake of his head, Wedge gunned the throttle and shot off like a bat out of hell. For a second, he thought he was catching up on the blaster bolt, but the more logical part of his brain new better – blaster bolts traveled too fast for someone to catch up with without entering hyperspace, and a jump to hyperspace with the speeder bike – if it were even possible – he'd be torn to pieces in seconds. 

Another blast sizzled past. Apparently, the first one had friends. _Many friends_, Wedge thought as a quartet of blaster bolts followed that one. Taking a deep breath, and hoping that he wouldn't kill anyone – _namely, myself_ – Wedge put the throttle on full and dove into a heavily industrialized sector of Coronet city. He hoped – probably vainly – that CorSec wouldn't come crashing down on him and haul him off to prison. The people pursuing him, however, were another question. And, since they were willing to take his life, he had no qualms about taking theirs. 

He expressed these thoughts by hauling out his E-11 and shooting a burst of shots back at them. None of them hit, of course, but it discouraged any of the jockeys from getting too close to him, and it also served to make them swerve a little, forcing him to cut back on their speed a little to regain control. With that, Wedge tucked the blaster back into a holster and started swerving between buildings. 

As one building came up on the right, Wedge made a 90-degree turn into it. Soon the road T-boned, but with an alley straight ahead. The alley wasn't wide enough for two speeders to squeeze through – in fact, it was barely wide enough for one, so Wedge poured through it. He gently started swearing to himself as the alley began swerving gently, and became slightly relieved as it widened, for whatever reason.

Whether he cared or not, though, he soon found out the reason: there were stairs leading to the roofs. His speeder could fit up them, and also around them, but Wedge knew that his best bet was to go up on the rooftops. He was, after all, not fit for driving at any speeds, much less speeds approaching the sound barrier. So, up he swooped, and planned on the sharp turn required at the top.

What he didn't plan on was the stairs acting as a large ramp. But, regardless of whether he counted on it or not, that what it did. Wedge vaulted up into the air, far higher then a bike was supposed to be able to go, and held on for dear life. If the street he landed on ended in a T-bone like the last one, there was no way he would be able to survive. 

As his bike flew through the air, he spotted a way to live, and aimed for it. It wasn't easy in the middle of the air, but he managed it. It might require some very tricky flying, but Wedge felt that he was game enough to tackle it. 

As he approached the correct spot, Wedge jammed the boosters on. The speeder more then doubled its speed in a millisecond and slammed into the rooftop. However, the impact was greatly softened by the repulsorlifts. The bike skidded and bounced on the rooftop, and swerved. The repulsorlift was beat, but Wedge was astonished. He was alive.

However, his speeder wasn't. It wheezed twice, and then Wedge lost all acceleration. The bike hit the ground – luckily on the bottom – and started skidding towards the edge. Wedge was jolted by the initial impact, and was dazed for a few minutes. When his head cleared, the bike was about to go over, and he knew immediately that if he tried to jump off now, he'd roll over the edge anyway.

But his survival of the stair-ramp didn't let him go back to the growing depression he had been slinking into from earlier, before the bikers started chasing him. It raised his spirits, and in the space of a second, he saw what he needed to do to continue to survive. 

He stood up as well as he could in the seat, and was nearly thrown off as the bike went over. But he clung on with his feet and leapt up onto the opposite rooftop as the speeder bike crashed into that building's side. The something in the bike sparked, and as Wedge rolled away on the roof, he saw a small fireball come up and above the side. It didn't move towards him, but it helped reassure him that the bikers would think him dead.

But he couldn't guaruntee it, and had lost his E-11 in the crash, so he moved towards the doorway sticking up from the roof and kicked it in. he dove in just as the whine of the speeder jocks increased. He assumed that this meant they were doing a flyby, and as he looked out at them, he saw the same Twi'lek who had taken Wes out. She landed on the roof and looked over the edge at the hole left by the explosion.

_Seems only fitting that I be the one to take her out. _Wedge brought out his blaster pistol and sighted her head. Without letting her move away, he squeezed down on the trigger. Before Wedge even realized it, though, she had twirled around and a bar of red light sprang up from something in his hands. It knocked the blast away with ease. _A lightsaber! Sithspit!_

Wedge could only hope that she didn't see where the blast came from, but he knew that she would. And even if she didn't, she would quickly be able to locate him with the Force, like he'd seen Luke do so many times. He swore to himself, and started running down the stares. More swoop-troops landed on the roof behind him, and he heard her order them after him. Two laser blasts drilled into the ceiling, and he knew that they would catch him. 

As he ran down the stare, one thought ran through his mind over and over again.

One thought. 

_It's all my fault_.


	4. The Enemy Revealed

Disclaimer: Must I continue to repeat myself? I own nothing! Nothing! Well, except the twi'lek and the biker gang. I own them. Luckily. Okay, maybe I don't own the Twi'lek. She's from Jedi Academy. Okay, I own something. I'll get back to you on what, though…

A new A/N: Wee! Fast chapters. I'm starting this one literally hours after I finished the last. During those hours I got sleep. Lots of sleep. But now I'm gonna have to go to school soon… blech. That could slow progress just a little. Oh, and this has a spoiler for the Dark Side end to Jedi academy, so if you don't want to know how it ends, should probably skip this chapter.

--

Jaden Korr watched as Wedge ran down the stairs. She felt him in the Force. He could most certainly run, but he could never run far nor fast enough. Nor could he hide. 

But she wasn't needed to chase him. Her goons could handle it all on their own. They were scum, certainly, but they were competent.

And they were the worst of her army of soldiers. 

She had once been a Jedi for the New Republic, and as such, she learned that they were weak. When trying to rescue her friend from the grip of the Disciples of Ragnos, and the dark side, he was there, unbound, unguarded. It had been a trap, so she killed him. Stabbed her lightsaber through his stomach.

And then the trap had been sprung, building her anger. And with that anger, she saw the true way – she saw the way of the dark side, the route to absolute power. She killed the one who attacked her – a mere padawan of a padawan, easily defeated, and then moved on to kill Tavion, the leader of the Disciples of Ragnos. She stole the Sith scepter, and then moved on to conquer the remnants of the Disciples, and from there the imperial remnant. 

And yet, despite this, absolute power had been slow to come. When the Empire and the Republic made peace, she was only able to keep a small slice of it, which became the official Imperial remnant. And that would have been enough to hound the republic; to annoy it, but that weakling Katarn had ruined it all. He had stopped her first major grab for power, which involved uncovering another of the powerful Sith scepters. They had gotten into another duel, and he had beaten her, but she luckily escaped. 

Then she had taken her small army of stormtroopers, Reborn, and force-empowered Cultists and fled to the Unknown Region. She periodically took out small task forces and recruited mercenaries, empowering many with the power of the Force once they were at a high enough level of training. All of her men were constantly drilled, and, even if they weren't, their skills would not have decayed. In their sector of space, they had had more then enough encounters with the Chiss.

She had grown to respect the Chiss for their cunning, bravery, devotion, and skill as warriors. They had struck an eventual peace and, though they weren't allies, or even friends, they did not continue to constantly battle each other. That had been a very fortunate event, for Jaden's force had slowly been becoming small and smaller as their battles raged on and on.

She was at Corellia on one of her frequent visits to known space, recruiting lowlifes for her army. She had recently become aware that Katarn – the same one who had foiled her so many times, and followed her into unknown space – had followed her once again, and was closing in. Having worked with Antilles before, while she was still a Jedi, she knew that he and Katarn might be in contact, and couldn't risk letting him identify her. So, she had made up a set of rules on the spot that would give her men an excuse to kill him and his partner. Sure enough, they had broken the rules, and then the portion of the bar that was already recruited by her attacked them. She took one out, but he wasn't the target. She had to get Antilles, or all would be lost. 

So they took off after him, and here they were. 

Her comlink beeping disrupted her thoughts. She answered it. "Korr."

One of the mercs answered her. "Help us! He has back up, someone with a lightsaber!" There was the sound of screams, blaster bolts, and a waving lightsaber in the background. Then the man screamed and never spoke again. 

There was the sound of footsteps, and then a familiar voice spoke over the comlink. "Hello, Jaden."

"Katarn!" she snarled, snatching the Sith scepter from her speeder bike. She'd need it to defeat him. And she'd make sure he was dead, this time. She broke off towards the door at a dead run, enhanced by the Force. "Why don't you just stop tinkering with me, Katarn? Why do you have to continuously get in the way? Why you just tell when you aren't wanted, take a hint, and _leave_?"

"Because I can't let you do this, Jaden. And frankly, I'm getting tired of it. We've been after each other for nearly 30 _years_, Jaden. I don't really want to kill you, and somehow, I don't think that you want to kill me." 

Jaden laughed. "You couldn't be more wrong, Katarn. If I were you, I'd save my life by walking away, and leaving Antilles where he is."

This time, the voice didn't come from the comlink. It came from behind her. "I think that it's a little late for that." Katarn said. Jaden skidded to a halt, swore, and turned around. Her lightsaber blazed to life and she held the Scepter ready.

Katarn looked pained. "Jaden, I _don't want to hurt you_."

"And that is why you will never be able to. You, your Jedi friends, and your New Republic are all weaklings. You will never be able to match the strength of the Dark Side." She retorted.

"That's not true, Jaden. If the Dark Side were absolute power, why are you just a warlord, struggling to keep your tiny empire alive? I've walked down that path, Jaden. I could have been the galaxies Emperor, but I didn't," Katarn said. "It would have corrupted me to the point of death, and the galaxy would have fallen back into shambles. It could have seen another hundred years of war, with millions – probably billions – of lives lost." 

"If you would have had the power to become Emperor, you would have, Katarn. Don't give me the spiel about the corruption of the Dark Side. Skywalker has lied to you all, don't you see? The Emperor was not aged unnaturally by the Dark side, no was he crippled by it. I have embraced its truth for 30 years, as you pointed out, and I have not had any of those effects. I am still beautiful, as you have no doubt noticed." Jaden smiled. "You have, haven't you? You would no doubt love to meet me someplace else… not as enemies, but as lovers." 

She moved a bit closer, her smile pleasant, her face kind and gentle. "Kyle, that is still a possibility… and you know what you need to do. Think of the possibilities… we would rule the galaxy with an iron fist…"

Her attempt at seduction was ruined by the shrill whine of a blaster bolt. She deftly batted it up into the ceiling, and spun to look at her attacker.

"No." Jan Ors said, visibly angry. Maybe angry isn't the word. Perhaps the correct phrase would be 'homicidal murderer about to kill the person who her husband had been cheating on her with.' "That is not a possibility."

Needless to say, Jaden was intimidated by the sight of the woman, who was easily just as beautiful as she was, and much older. Though it wasn't that that intimidated her, it was the size of the gun she held in her hands. And it was a very big gun, and one of the few that was an actual danger to one skilled with a lightsaber and trained in the Force as she was. It was a Golan Arms flechete launcher – basically a shotgun. But it wasn't able to fire blaster bolts, so that must have come from…

"Antilles. You've caused a lot of trouble."

Wedge was also an intimidating sight, with a dangerous-looking blaster rifle in his hands and a look of pure hate on his face. "Where is Wes?"

"Oh, yeah, him. He's at the bar, in the back." Jaden knew that she had to stall them, long enough to figure out a way to escape. She wouldn't be able to beat them. Antilles and Ors she could handle, but not while fighting Kyle. Likewise, she could handle Katarn, but not while being shot at by Antilles and Ors. 

So she told them what they wanted while she gathered to herself the necessary Force powers to use the scepter to blast a hole in the wall. It was her only real chance at living, and she was going to jump on it with a fiery vengeance. They asked her questions, and she answered them. For some she told the truth, but for most she lied.

It was as she was just about to ignite the scepter and blast a hole in the wall when Katarn did something unexpected. He reached out a half-closed hand towards her, and the scepter leapt from her hands as if it were magnetized. In a single deft move, he tossed it up in the air and swung his saber at it.

However, even thought Katarn had always been more powerful in the Force then her, she had always been faster. Now, she used that speed to her advantage and began pulling the saber towards her as she made a force-assisted leap towards it. She twisted her body to grab the scepter just as Katarn's blue saber passed through the space that it had been in. Katarn gave a small gasp of astonishment as she hit the ground. Rolling, she stood up at a dead run. Katarn was, of course, hot on her heels, but he was getting old, and couldn't keep up for long. He did keep it up long enough to get to the top of the building, and jump on one of the speeders bikes that Jaden didn't destroy as she mounted her own.

Kyle then goosed the throttle, and was already a small dot on the horizon when Wedge and Jan came to the top of the building. Jan started moving towards one of the 4 remaining bikes, but Wedge stopped her.

"No. There's no point. What happens when we find her, and run her down?" He shook his head. "No, it's better to get back to the villa that the Rogues are staying at." Wedge really didn't want to sit around and do nothing, but it was the truth.

Jan frowned, looked back at where Kyle had gone, and sighed. "I suppose that you're right. C'mon, our ride is downstairs." Without another word, Jan turned and jogged lightly back to the doorway and down the stairs.

Wedge, having little real choice, sighed and followed her when he remembered something that in all the excitement of confronting Jaden he shouldn't of but had forgotten.

"Jan – wait!" He called after her. "Wes!"

Those three words were all she needed to come springing back up the stairs and onto a speeder bike. When Wedge hesitated slightly, she barked at him. "Well, c'mon. What are you waiting for, an invitation? Then consider yourself invited to the party. Now let's _go!_" 

Wedge practically sprung onto the bike next to her, and the pair of them shot off like blaster bolts.

This was, to Wedge's mind, the only smart thing he did that night. 

But if he had known what would happen, he would have thought it the dumbest thing he had done that night – worse even then letting the situation build at the bar.

But of course, he didn't know what was going to happen.

--

The A/N Strikes Back: Pretty good, eh? It would've been a few days ago, but I got caught up in Angelmass, the book I was reading, and couldn't tear myself from it until I knew what happened. I started it 5 days ago and finished it late last night… I totally demolished it. Whee, go me. But okay, review, and I'll try and have another chapter soon. Ta ta! 


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